novelraw Chapter 172.2 Diary
Chapter 172.2 Diary
“I hope you’ll dissolve the Mutual Aid Society of Regrets as soon as possible, or better yet, go directly surrender to the Public Security Bureau yourself. If you insist on continuing this, then I’m sorry—I’ll have no choice but to report you to the police!”
“Heh heh heh…”
Across from her, Wu Yuanzheng let out a dry laugh, flipping the coin in his hand.
“Li Yini, don’t be so quick to label something a cult or not a cult. Even as a future police officer, shouldn’t your judgments still be based on evidence?”
“I have never deceived any believer. They all work for me willingly. I have never once broken my word, never once deceived anyone. For every believer who completes their mission, I always fulfill their wish as promised and mend their regret.”
“At the moment, it seems… you’re still doubtful of my abilities. You even believe these so-called miracles are limited to the domains of power, wealth, and connections.”
“In that case, why not have just a little more patience and wait a few more days? On September 16, I hope you’ll come again. I’ll let you properly witness for yourself…”
“…what a real miracle truly is.”
[September 16, 2023. Weather: Sunny.]
—This is unbelievable.
I can’t believe any of this is real.
That great man—Wu Yuanzheng—
can actually make even wishes this outrageous, this unreasonable, come true!
Is… is this scientific?
But—
if it isn’t science, then what exactly am I seeing with my own eyes?
“Li Yini, what do you think?”
Inside the luxurious conference room, Wu Yuanzheng spread his hands.
“Let’s just speak frankly. I know what your life’s greatest regret is. When you were six, you lost your younger brother. Even though it wasn’t your fault—he was forcibly snatched away from your hands by traffickers.”
“Your family, your parents, and even your own life were all devastated because of it. Hearing your story pains me deeply, just as hearing the regrets of all my believers pains me.”
“But if you join the Mutual Aid Society of Regrets, then you gain the opportunity to mend the regrets of your life. Did you see the smiles on those believers’ faces? Did you hear their joyful cheers?”
“What I have here is not some cult organization. Of course, it’s not a charity either.”
“We hold a noble ideal.”
“We hope to make the world better and plan a stronger future for human civilization.”
“That is why we must stand from a higher perspective and punish the criminals that the law cannot convict. Someone as intelligent as you surely understands—lawmaking and legal judgment always lag behind reality.”
“If every major crime must wait until it has already caused catastrophic consequences before laws are made, researched, and enforced, then that’s no different from mending the sheepfold after the sheep are gone.”
“From the perspective of long history and the river of time, as eras change and society progresses, some sacrifices are inevitable.”
“And necessary.”
“So—have you decided?”
“Will you call me Priest and become one of my believers?”
Li Yini bit her lip.
“Is this really… a righteous thing?”
Wu Yuanzheng spread his hands.
“I can prove all of that to you.”
Li Yini fell silent.
After a while, she raised her head.
“You really can mend any regret and grant any wish?”
“You really… can help me bring my brother back?”
Wu Yuanzheng chuckled and spun the coin across the tabletop with his fingertip.
“As easy as breathing.”
[October 11, 2023. Weather: Light Rain.]
I officially joined the Mutual Aid Society of Regrets.
Because Priest proved to me that what they do truly is righteous.
There really are too many outlaws in this world who never receive punishment.
Just like the trafficker who stole my brother—
if possible, I want to arrest him with my own hands.
“Then, Priest, what are we going to do?”
Li Yini looked at the old man before her.
“What kind of mission do we need to complete before you help me mend my regret and bring my brother back?”
—
Wu Yuanzheng nodded.
“This may perhaps be… a very long mission.”
“You will have to make many sacrifices, many efforts, and endure a great deal of pain.”
“I don’t care.”
Li Yini’s gaze was unwavering.
“I only want to see my brother again! I want my parents to be able to stand up again, and for our family to be whole and happy once more.”
“No matter how great the sacrifice, I don’t care.”
“From the day I lost my brother, the only thing supporting me—the only source of faith and motivation in my life—has been bringing him back.”
“That is the entire meaning of my life.”
Wu Yuanzheng smiled faintly.
“As for what your mission is, that’s still unclear for now.”
“All I can say is…”
“…at present, we have indeed obtained a key, but we have absolutely no idea where the lock is.”
“However, in this world, if there is a key, then there must be a lock.”
“That lock will appear sooner or later.”
“So during the days we wait for the lock to appear, what you must do is turn yourself into that key.”
“You must become identical to that key—so identical that truth and falsehood cannot be distinguished.”
“Only then will there be a chance to open that lock.”
“I understand.”
Li Yini narrowed her eyes.
“You want me… to impersonate someone.”
“Or rather, become a certain person.”
“Imitate everything about her. Learn everything about her. Until I become exactly the same.”
Clap clap clap clap clap.
The middle-aged man beside Wu Yuanzheng applauded and stood up.
“As expected of a top student. You understood immediately. It wasn’t for nothing that we found you in the sea of people.”
“You really are the most suitable girl. We weren’t wrong.”
Li Yini looked at the middle-aged man.
“So out of all the girls in the world, why choose me?”
“Because I’m a student at Imperial Capital Police University?”
“Because I’m suited for this kind of mission?”
“No, no, no.”
The middle-aged man waved his hand.
“While that is certainly an unexpected advantage, it isn’t the deciding factor.”
“The reason we chose you from among all the candidates is actually very simple.”
He picked up a remote and projected a photo onto the screen.
Li Yini squinted.
That was—
a very lovely short-haired girl.
Slim figure.
Bright smile.
The kind of presence that made people feel like spring breeze.
But what shocked her even more was—
this girl’s face, body, height, and features were all eighty percent similar to her own.
“That’s right.”
The middle-aged man looked at Li Yini.
“Out of all the girls we screened…”
“…you are the one who looks most like her.”
[October 20, 2023. Weather: Sunny.]
These past few days I’ve been busy processing my withdrawal from school, so I haven’t written.
—
The instructor tried hard to make me stay.
He said my eyesight was top-tier, that whether in criminal investigation or the military, I was rare talent.
It was only after entering university that I realized this.
It isn’t that my eyesight is especially good.
It’s that my observational ability is abnormally sharp.
No matter how tiny the difference, even things others can’t distinguish with a magnifying glass, I can tell apart at a glance.
Whether it’s photos, faces, scenery, or distant still objects, all my test scores are perfect.
But—
even this talent still can’t help me bring my brother back.
Perhaps one day, after my brother returns, I’ll try becoming a police officer again.
Li Yini really did hesitate for a moment.
Because she knew very clearly—
once she accepted this surgery, there would truly be no turning back.
Li Yini would disappear from this world.
She would become Cheng Mengxue, living again in this world—
all for the sake of opening a “lock” that had not even appeared yet, whose location was still unknown.
“Priest.”
Li Yini finally made up her mind, wagering all her hope on this gamble as she looked at Wu Yuanzheng.
“You really will help me bring my brother back… bring Lele back, right?”
Wu Yuanzheng placed his right hand over his chest.
“I swear on my soul.”
“The day you complete the mission—at the latest, no later than the 16th of that month—I will definitely bring your brother before you.”
Li Yini nodded heavily.
“I believe you.”
Then she lay down on the operating table—
A long surgery.
Her entire body was restrained by iron shackles, unable to move even half an inch.
The pain drove her to collapse.
She screamed hoarsely, fainted several times.
In the end, her vision went black and she completely lost consciousness.
She had no idea how much time passed.
When she finally opened her eyes again, her body was weak, though thankfully she couldn’t feel pain for the moment.
The middle-aged man stepped forward and held up a photo before her eyes.
“Who is this?”
“My cousin, Xu Yan.”
The answer slipped out of Li Yini’s mouth instantly.
Huh?
Wait!
Her eyes widened in shock.
What is going on?
She clearly didn’t know this person.
This person was not her cousin.
Yet the memories related to this person had surfaced in her mind in an instant.
The middle-aged man looked satisfied and raised another photo.
“What about this person?”
“Wang Hao—the class monitor from high school.”
Again, it came out automatically.
Li Yini completely understood.
So the surgery succeeded?
These were Cheng Mengxue’s memories!
Cheng Mengxue’s memories had already been downloaded into her brain?
“One more.”
The middle-aged man raised yet another photograph.
“Who is this?”
“Jiang Ran, I lo—my childhood sweetheart.”
For some reason,
Li Yini’s tongue slipped.
“Very good.”
The middle-aged man smiled in satisfaction, exchanged a glance with Wu Yuanzheng, then looked back.
“Final question.”
He stared at her.
“Who are you?”
Li Yini was puzzled.
She didn’t understand why he was asking something so pointless.
But she still answered honestly.
“I am… Li Yini.”
[December 1, 2023. Weather: Heavy Snow.]
During this time, I’ve been staying in Hall Country, inside Doctor Garner’s research center.
This place is huge.
Every facility imaginable is here, along with a manor and an artificial lake.
I’ve recovered well.
There’s no discomfort in my body, and my mind has adapted to the overlap of two sets of memories.
Actually, it has never really affected me.
Because my self-awareness is still myself.
Those memories of Cheng Mengxue feel to me like a movie I’ve watched, or a novel I’ve read.
Those plotlines have nothing to do with me.
They’re just a story that doesn’t belong to me.
Doctor Garner often asks whether I’ll confuse the two, or whether my sense of self will sometimes turn into Cheng Mengxue.
Of course not.
Because I’m Li Yini.
What a ridiculous question.
—
Would someone think they’re Spider-Man just because they watched Spider-Man?
Would someone think they’re Lin Daiyu just because they read Dream of the Red Chamber?
Today we continued practicing swimming in the pool, as well as diving.
Because in Cheng Mengxue’s memories, her swimming ability is extremely good.
Because of a childhood drowning incident, she was always exceptionally serious during training.
So in order to become Cheng Mengxue better,
I must imitate everything about her.
Learn everything about her.
Until eventually—
I completely become her.
Splash!
Li Yini surfaced from underwater, wiped the water from her face, and looked toward the poolside.
Over there, Doctor Garner seemed to be arguing with Priest.
“It can’t be done!”
Doctor Garner looked on the verge of collapse.
“It really can’t be done, Mr. Wu! How could cosmetic surgery possibly be that advanced right now? It’s fundamentally impossible to make her completely identical!”
“If you insist on total perfection, you might as well just clone one! Although—well, to be honest, cloning a completely identical person is even less possible.”
“There’s nothing difficult about it.”
Wu Yuanzheng kept his eyes closed, utterly unconcerned.
“Write me a report listing every technical obstacle you currently have.”
“It’s not just one item—”
“Enough.”
Wu Yuanzheng raised a hand, stopping Doctor Garner’s complaints.
He opened his eyes, and both his gaze and tone were equally imposing.
“Do as I say, Garner.”
“Whatever technology you need, write it down for me.”
“Every technological breakthrough you’re hoping for—I will complete it for you by the 16th of this month.”
“Remember.”
“Everything you want.”
“Any technology.”
“I guarantee it will be solved by the 16th.”
“You’re also someone with a very strong desire for fame and gain. I’ve invested this much money into you because I expect results quickly.”
“Once you obtain these breakthrough technologies, you’ll inevitably become a rising star in the medical world.”
“Perhaps you’ll even win the Nobel Prize in Medicine.”
“But the premise for all of that…”
“…is doing exactly what I instructed.”
[What I want is perfection. I want Li Yini surgically altered in every detail until she is exactly the same as Cheng Mengxue.]
“What I need is not merely a key with Cheng Mengxue’s memories.”
“Her appearance, habits, accent, personality, everything, everything…”
“…all of it must be exactly the same.”
At this point, Wu Yuanzheng smiled.
“Of course, you understand—I’m not the kind of client who only makes unreasonable demands.”
“I’m very responsible.”
“I will help you solve every problem.”
“Small problems, as long as they exist somewhere on Earth and are within the limits of present reality, Lilith can solve.”
“As for larger problems—things current science cannot yet solve—you tell me, and I will personally find a way.”
“Absolutely nothing will be delayed past the 16th of any month.”
Listening to their conversation, Li Yini rested against the edge of the pool and tilted her head.
The 16th of every month.
Priest really liked mentioning that date.
Why?
Was there something special about that day?
[September 19, 2024. Weather: Light Rain.]
I no longer have my own appearance at all.
Now,
I am Cheng Mengxue.
After a full year of preparation, study, training, and imitation—
I had already become exactly identical to the Cheng Mengxue in my memories.
Not just in appearance.
I learned her accent and verbal tics;
learned every smile and frown she made;
learned the way she walked and her love of plaid skirts;
learned every background story and setting behind Rhine Cat;
I had even become used to thinking through her logic.
—
Used to her reactions, used to her jumpiness, used to her shrill voice, used to her stinginess and bickering.
In front of the surgical mirror, Doctor Garner removed the bandages over Li Yini’s eyes, and together they looked at the “Cheng Mengxue” in the mirror.
“Perfect!”
Doctor Garner’s face was full of pride and satisfaction as he looked at the work he was most pleased with in his entire life.
“I truly never imagined it—everything Mr. Wu promised was real. He helped me break through scientific barriers beyond imagination, actually pushing cosmetic reconstruction to such a pinnacle!”
“Yini, look—not a single scar, not a single trace! Even the color of the pupils has already been adjusted perfectly. The you right now, you’ve completely become Cheng Mengxue! It’s perfection at the level of copy and paste!”
“Hehe~”
Li Yini revealed a smile identical to Cheng Mengxue’s.
“Of course! None of the hard work over this past year was wasted!”
Voice, noise, laughter, verbal habits, micro-expressions, micro-movements—
The girl in the mirror was Cheng Mengxue.
Even if her parents came, they wouldn’t be able to spot the slightest flaw.
“I think this key of mine has already been polished to perfection.”
Resting her chin in both hands, Li Yini swayed her head from side to side.
“But that lock—when exactly is it going to appear?”
“No rush, no rush.”
Doctor Garner waved his hand, signaling for Li Yini to stay calm.
“You’re still far from perfect. You absolutely must remember—right now we’re still in the practice phase. If you make any mistakes or errors, there’s still time to fix them.”
“But once you truly step onto the battlefield, once you truly enter Cheng Mengxue’s life—there won’t be a single chance for mistakes. The moment you make even the slightest slip, reveal even the tiniest flaw, it’s total defeat.”
“In Cheng Mengxue’s memories, was there anyone especially intelligent? If there was, you need to pay extra attention when the time comes.”
“Jiang Ran.”
Almost without hesitation, Li Yini said the name.
“Well—it’s not that this boy named Jiang Ran is that intelligent. It’s just that in Cheng Mengxue’s memories, she cared about this boy deeply, to the point that many of her emotions were tied to him.”
“Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue are childhood sweethearts. They grew up together all these years. If there’s really someone who might notice a flaw—I think Jiang Ran has the highest probability.”
“But well, hehe, that’s not a problem~”
Li Yini stood up and stretched exactly the way Cheng Mengxue would.
“I possess all of Cheng Mengxue’s memories. Every big and small thing is stored in my mind. So even when facing her childhood sweetheart, I absolutely won’t slip up.”
“In the days ahead, I’ll go even further and imitate how Cheng Mengxue responds to all kinds of sudden situations. I must become completely identical to Cheng Mengxue. Only then can I perfectly complete the mission Father assigned.”
[July 20, 2025. Weather: Clear.]
Tomorrow is the day I’m going to attend the class reunion.
Of course, not my class reunion.
It’s Cheng Mengxue’s class reunion.
A few days ago, Father’s people told me that the lock we’d waited years for had finally appeared.
And by sheer coincidence, it was in Cheng Mengxue’s childhood sweetheart, Jiang Ran.
That, I know all too well.
—
Thankfully, I prepared long ago.
These two years, more than 600 days of time, were all spent for this exact moment—for the perfect performance in front of Jiang Ran.
I will play the role of a childhood sweetheart returning after two years apart.
Some parts of her have changed.
Some parts of her haven’t.
So real and fake that no one could tell the difference, impossible to distinguish.
I spent two whole years doing only one thing.
That was becoming Cheng Mengxue.
I will hand in a perfect score on this assignment.
“Yini, you must become Jiang Ran’s best friend, understand everything about him, uncover all his secrets, and find out the true mastermind hidden behind him.”
The middle-aged man sat at the conference table, looking at Li Yini.
“This mission is extremely important. You’ve already paid a tremendous price to become Cheng Mengxue—but I believe it was all worth it. Just standing here in front of me now, I can no longer see any difference between you and Cheng Mengxue!”
“The you right now is the most perfect key! You must open the lock that is Jiang Ran and unravel the secrets on him!”
Li Yini blinked.
“Then… should Jiang Ran be subjected to divine punishment?”
“No need to rush that.”
The middle-aged man waved his hand.
“Just like we discussed before, the targets of divine punishment must be true sinners in the real sense.”
“For now, your priority is still approaching Jiang Ran privately. Don’t move too fast. You must keep the pace slow and steady to avoid alerting the enemy.”
“As for when to carry out divine punishment, or whether it should be done at all—we’ll judge based on the facts. Father’s opinion leans more toward uncovering the secret on Jiang Ran first.”
“Correct.”
Wu Yuanzheng, fiddling with the gold coin at his fingertips beside them, nodded.
“Absolutely do not be impatient. Take it slow. Don’t let our two years of preparation be ruined halfway.”
“This is a long-term mission. I’m not in a hurry for results either. At least in the short term, your only task is to safely integrate into Jiang Ran’s life without letting him detect anything unusual.”
Li Yini was extremely confident. She had long since prepared thoroughly.
“However, Father, Jiang Ran is a very cautious person. In fact, in many matters he’s almost excessively cautious.”
“So from my understanding of him, no matter how perfectly I play the role, he will definitely harbor suspicion. And his ability to act is very strong—once he suspects something, he’ll certainly take steps to verify it.”
“The only thing I’m worried about is DNA testing.”
“Even if my imitation of Cheng Mengxue has zero flaws, DNA is something that can’t be changed. Once he gets my hair and compares it with Cheng Mengxue’s relatives, everything will be exposed immediately.”
“Lilith will take care of everything.”
Wu Yuanzheng was unconcerned.
“I considered this kind of thing long ago. You’re not fighting alone. We’re all behind you, and there’s also a team of believers assisting you 24 hours a day.”
“So on something this obvious and small, absolutely nothing will go wrong. The real battle lies in your performance, and this is by no means an easy assignment.”
“Even though you’ve prepared for two years, the real challenge only begins once you truly enter Cheng Mengxue’s life and interact with the people who used to know her—especially when facing Jiang Ran. You must be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.”
—especially when facing Jiang Ran, you must be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.
“Don’t worry, Father.”
Li Yini clenched her fist and smiled faintly.
“When facing Jiang Ran, I absolutely won’t have any problems.”
“I will absolutely play the role well—a girl who likes him.”
???
???
Wu Yuanzheng and the middle-aged man both stared wide-eyed and sat upright.
“No, you need to understand the character setup!”
The middle-aged man hurriedly explained.
“They’re childhood sweethearts! And in Cheng Mengxue’s memories, she’s never dated anyone, never had any ambiguous behavior whatsoever. Don’t add your own drama! It’ll ruin everything!”
“You need to understand this, Yini—not every pair of childhood sweethearts has romantic feelings budding between them. We have to stick to the facts. Just honestly play the childhood-sweetheart role.”
Seeing the two important figures panic so much, Li Yini covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
“Oh, seriously—who understands this better, you or me?”
At this moment, her acting had reached perfection, truly as if Cheng Mengxue herself had come back to life.
“The memories may not contain ambiguity, but the feeling is very good.”
“It could be said that more than anyone else—even more than Cheng Mengxue herself—I understand how she feels about Jiang Ran.”
Li Yini picked up her phone and looked at her mirrored self in the dark screen.
“I am fake.”
The reflected girl in the glass moved her lips.
“But the feeling of liking him—is real.”
Click.
By the time he reached this point in the diary, Jiang Ran’s fingers were trembling slightly.
Holding his breath, he turned the page directly and looked at the final lines of this diary entry.
[My name is Li Yini. Starting from tomorrow, when I meet Jiang Ran, I need to temporarily forget this name.]
[I prepared for a full two years, came to Donghai full of spirit.]
[When I complete the mission and leave Donghai, I’ll definitely be just the same—full of spirit!]
Huangpu River, riverside.
The setting sun sank into the city skyline, staining the river surface red, like lava spreading beneath the water.
Red burning clouds.
A red horizon.
Heaven and earth dyed the same color.
Wang Hao leaned against the riverside railing and sighed.
“So there was actually something like this. Never thought you’d guessed right from the very beginning—that Xiaoxue really was fake—”
“…”
“Plastic surgery, memory downloading, forged DNA reports… damn, I’m seriously convinced. Is this still the real world? Did I somehow transmigrate into a sci-fi novel?”
“But—sigh, how do I put this, what even do I say…”
He scratched his head, words tangled.
“I just feel kind of… lost. I thought Xiaoxue was really still alive, that our trio had finally reunited again. Never thought all of this would turn out to be fake!”
The frustration in his chest was unbearable.
Wang Hao pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
“But in the end, learning the truth is still a good thing. And if you say that fake Xiaoxue was fake, she wasn’t completely fake. At least the memories were real! Maybe even the soul was real!”
“If she wasn’t real, how could she have pushed you away at the end and taken the sniper bullet for you? She came to kill you in the first place! As long as she killed you, she could take back the little brother stolen by traffickers. Her little brother was her life!”
Jiang Ran said nothing.
He took the lighter from Wang Hao’s hand—
Click.
The fierce windproof flame burst out.
Jiang Ran held the copied diary pages to it. The place where the paper touched the flame instantly yellowed, blackened, and burst into roaring fire.
Wang Hao exhaled smoke.
“No matter what, this farce has finally come to an end.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
Yes.
So many lives lost.
Nothing more than a farce.
He looked at the burning diary in his hand, feeling the warm wind blowing against his face, while carousel-like images flashed through his mind.
[Sorry, Jiang Ran.]
Under the moonlight, Qin Feng turned back one final time and pressed the send button on his phone.
[Forgive me.]
“Young man! Why are you jumping through the window!”
Old Tian rubbed his aching back where he’d been kicked and stood up.
“Do the people in your room not use doors?”
“My name suits me. I’m very strict.”
Teacher Yan Chonghan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.
“Now then—we begin class!”
“They all say Dad is a bad man.”
Tian Xiaoli looked at the white clouds outside the window.
“But in my heart—Dad will always be the best dad.”
“You idiot!!”
Soaked from head to toe, Cheng Mengxue slapped him across the face.
“Do you have a death wish?!”
“This is a girl’s kiss.”
With the city lights glowing outside the window, the fragrance of the girl’s lips brushed his cheek like a dragonfly touching water.
“This isn’t a childhood sweetheart’s kiss. This is—a girl’s kiss.”
“Jiang Ran—”
Cheng Mengxue, the girl who feared pain more than anything in her life, gritted her teeth. Tears, blood, and mud were smeared across her face, her eyes full of unwillingness as she looked at him.
“Save me—”
The coin bouncing away beside the round table.
The severed head of the Magician.
The witch’s tarot card in the amusement park.
The rooftop confrontation in the microfilm.
The Ferris wheel burned into the orphanage wall.
The huge [unclear] eye opening in the center of the spinning ring.
When the flames on the diary burned to their fiercest, Jiang Ran hurled the fireball with all his strength toward the endlessly eastward-flowing Huangpu River.
“You were right. This farce is over.”
The fireball slowly fell toward the river’s surface, burning ashes dancing wildly in the wind.
“From here on—”
Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes and looked toward the horizon where the red sun had vanished.
[The real game begins!]
United States, eastern outskirts of Los Angeles, ruined church.
“Azhe!”
Fang Yang rushed into the ruined abandoned church.
The ceiling here had long since rotted away, the ground covered in moss, muddy and wretched.
After escaping Hangzhou, he had hidden all the way to Los Angeles according to Father’s arrangements.
But after that, he never received any further contact from Father.
He knew something must have happened to Father!
Yet at a time like this, his younger brother Fang Ze somehow found a channel to contact him and arranged to meet here.
Fang Yang was extremely nervous.
He was already carrying several murder cases on his back. It was only a matter of time before the police caught him—how had this still dragged his younger brother in too?!
“Azhe! Where are you!”
He looked left and right inside the church, but couldn’t see his brother anywhere.
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion erupted without warning.
Fang Yang instantly understood.
There were bombs hidden inside.
The raging fire and collapsing ruins buried him beneath—
He could no longer feel the existence of his limbs, couldn’t even feel pain, only the thick stench of blood filling his mouth.
“Brother.”
Suddenly, at that unfamiliar greeting, Fang Yang’s eyes widened immediately.
The boy before him smiled.
“Brother, long time no see.”
“You—”
Fang Yang roared in fury.
“You’re not Azhe! My brother—you, what did you do to hi—”
Bang!
Fang Ze pressed a handgun against Fang Yang’s head and fired.
Blood and brain matter sprayed from the back of his skull.
The world fell silent.
Fang Ze wiped the handgun with his clothes, then tossed it directly to the ground.
“Before the narrow gate, there is clamor; beyond the narrow gate, there is eternity.”
He raised his head, looking at the stained-glass image of Christ’s suffering splitting apart and burning in the explosion, and smiled faintly.
“But this narrow gate—only a select few can reach it.”
The young man spread both arms and walked toward the mural of Mary peacefully holding the holy infant.
[And that narrow gate—is the stairway of my ascension to godhood!]
Russia, Volgograd, Red Square.
—
“What is this? You dragged me to a place like this—I’m freezing to death.”
The beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes wrapped her clothes tighter and shot an annoyed glance at the tall, powerfully built Chukchi people man beside her.
“You suddenly pulled me out all mysteriously—I thought you were going to propose! I specifically wore my prettiest dress!”
She looked left and right, completely unable to understand what was so special about this ordinary square.
“Several decades ago, this city wasn’t called Volgograd.”
The tall man’s gaze was sharp as he looked up at the red flag.
“It used to be called Stalingrad. One of the cruelest and largest battles in history happened here. It was the turning point of the entire Second World War.”
“Not a single man who died here was a coward. They were heroes of the Soviet Union.”
The woman breathed into her hands.
“There you go talking about this again, but the Soviet Union collapsed ages ago.”
“Correct.”
The man’s gaze did not shift for even a moment.
[If the great Soviet Union had survived until now, the world would not be like this.]
The woman shrank into herself and edged behind him.
“But what’s the point of saying that now? Unless you have a time machine and can go back before 1991 to solve the problem from inside and stop the Soviet Union from collapsing—but there’s no such thing as a time machine in this world!”
The man stood in the freezing wind, silent for a moment.
“As long as we win this game, anything can be done.”
The woman’s eyes widened.
“Has vodka gotten into your brain? You really dare to dream this big—in this era, revive the Soviet Union?!”
“It can be done.”
The man’s tall body stood proudly against the wind.
“As long as I obtain the final victory in this game, I can gain the power to change everything.”
“Then naturally, I can alter history so that the great motherland never collapsed.”
He stared at the flying red flag and clenched the coin in his palm.
[The iron Soviet Union has fallen. But the steel of the Soviet Union—still burns!]
Australia, Melbourne University.
Inside the stepped lecture hall, the room buzzed noisily. The lecturer on the podium waved his hand.
“The question that student just asked was very interesting. Correct—in this world, there are enormous differences in intelligence between people.”
“The Prince of Mathematics, Carl Friedrich Gauss, was always strongly against his children engaging in mathematical research.”
“Because Gauss understood very clearly that under the enormous gap in talent, it’s entirely possible that his sons could study mathematics for an entire lifetime and still fail to understand the problem he casually wrote in a courtyard one day at the age of twenty.”
“This is something cruel. The upper limit of genius is enough to make people despair, yet the appearance of genius is also extremely rare—”
[Generally speaking, only one genius may appear among ten thousand people.]
The lecturer looked at the full hall of students and smiled.
“So then, the only question next is—”
[How do we make the remaining 9,999 people become geniuses as well?]